As of 30 June, 2010, the total debt stood at $868.93 million, and a year later that total hit a massive $879.39 million.

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Every year the total debt accrued by hopeless parents increases, despite the CSA boasting they are also increasing the amount they are retrieving.

And it’s your taxpayer dollars that will end up footing the bill, putting added pressure on our welfare system to pay for other people’s children as we rapidly head towards a $1 billion child support debt.

The CSA are quick to point out they successfully collected $108 million of outstanding maintenance in 2010/2011 by intercepting the tax returns of non-complying parents.

Firstly, it’s a travesty that a government agency has to initiate legal proceedings, garnish wages and cancel passports to make a person pay for their own children.

Secondly, those parents who knowingly shun the financial responsibility of their children should face more than just a politely-worded paper trail.

It’s time we got tough on those who might care to test the system and its systematic failings. Fare evaders face fines and imprisonment, yet maintenance evaders can go years before CSA even consider litigation.

A friend of mine in the field of family law recounted a common attitude displayed by many separated parents.

“Whenever it comes down to money - they always view child support in terms of money that is going to an ex-partner. The rationale is never that its money going towards the upkeep of their own child.”

Anyone with kids will tell you they’re expensive little critters, and despite the fact I think kids these days are given too much, which in turn contributes to the financial strain on families, there is no disputing the fact extra mouths mean extra dollars are required to ensure the efficient running of a household.

Still, there are some who believe it is more important to go on an overseas holiday than it is to pay for their child’s dental, medical or educational expenses.

If you chose to bring a child into the world, you commit to providing for them. The marriage may have ended but your parental responsibilities haven't.

The true measure of a person can be seen by the measure of the sacrifices they make. When one parent fails to measure up and the burden falls solely on a single parent to provide for a family, there are more than just financial implications – especially for the children.

There are parents who give up their time, their careers and their every waking moment to attend music and dancing and sporting activities – even when the high-pitched squeal of a poorly-played saxophone makes them want to stick a pen in their eye.

Even when they’re so tired, the thought of getting back in the car to sit through a late-afternoon dancing lesson is as inspiring as cleaning the toilet.

And then there are the parents who develop a nervous twitch at the thought of sacrificing anything for anyone ... including their offspring.

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178 comments so far

Good morning Heidi,

I am a single Parent and Male. I have custody of the oldest who's mother saw him for 9 nights for the first half of the year, though he is now mostly spending every second weekend with her now. His younger brother I have for 1/3 of the year. I pay child support and a reasonable amount. Why? Their Mother earns no money, well above board anyway. She works in a trade where one can work from home and when se does a big job on a weekend she earns over $1000. I have learnt about the powers of CSA forst hand. At one stage I had the misfortune to be in a position where my income halved. I had a ruling against me for capacity to pay. When I could not afford it my pay packet was reduced foricibly to the "protected amount" but the debt kept growing.

Commenter

Dan

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

October 18, 2011, 7:07AM

Part 2:

A few of Months ago their Mother rang up child support to say she would be spending more time with the oldest, so my payments were increased again, despite the promises the extra time has not been delivered and CSA told me I will not recieve credit for the over payments.

The boys have asked me on a number of times if we can go on an overseas holiday like their Mother or if they can go out to dinner all the time like their Mother. I earn a reasonable Salary these days in a job that gives me the flexibility for the boys together with the support of my parents. I am thankfull to spend so much time with them so I rarely complain about my lot (this is the first time in a long time). The problem as you have stated in the articile is not the CSA but the Parents involved. How does a Government legislate against someone who will put everyting before their own children?

Commenter

Dan

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

October 18, 2011, 7:18AM

Again, yawn, It just completely dumbfounds me as to how any thinking human adult (worthy of a blog no less) can have such simplified, black and white opinions on just about every topic.

Commenter

darryltj

Date and time

October 18, 2011, 7:57AM

"Whenever it comes down to money - they always view child support in terms of money that is going to an ex-partner. The rationale is never that its money going towards the upkeep of their own child."

Because, in a great number of cases, that is in fact the situation.

When I was divorced the two eldest of our children chose to live with me, the 3 youngest with my ex as I worked full time.I was required to pay $9000/year support for the 60% of the time the three were in their mother's care. She paid nothing for the 40% of the time they were in my care or the 100% of the time the older two were in my care.

When the court eventually moved the three youngest to my care as well for their welfare, she skipped the country in order to avoid paying support.The CSA, rapid in collecting support from me did everything possible to help her avoid paying. No less than 3 times their decisions were overturned because of "gross bias" against me (THEIR words).I have supplied them with her address and phone number in the USA with whome we have a reciprical arrangement for collection, but I have not reveived a reply to my letter from 6 weeks ago.

Commenter

Goresh

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

October 18, 2011, 7:59AM

My issue with child support is the fact that my husband is disabled and now 700 of his 1100 a month disability goes to pay child support to a woman who makes around 5000 a month. Raising a family of four on his 400 dollar income and my income is not easy. What makes it worse is, even though he is paying the child support order in full AND paying off arreas from the time of his unemployment due to disability, the mother of the child REFUSES to let him see the child; moved to a different location and changed the phone number so he couldn't talk to his child. PLEASE tell me why there is nothing to fix these issues? He filed for modification and enforcement of custody and it was denied. He filed for reduction of child support, and it was denied. IF child support is supposed to be "equal support payment" for a child, how does one child (based on this) need $1400 a month to survive? Whether someone has a child or not, they still have rent and utilities and bills to pay. Child support would be to SUPPORT THE CHILD (buy food, buy clothing, school needs, etc.) AND to top it off, he doesn't get to see his child AND has all of this with the money because SHE CHEATED on him and LEFT HIM; but yet he is the "bad guy". I think if you pay child support, you should AT LEAST be able to see the child; but I guess I am wrong to think that?

Commenter

Fecca

Date and time

October 18, 2011, 8:10AM

As BrissieDad states some parents see the payment of Child Support as a meal ticket or obversely as an extreme financial burden.I was initially in a position where I had to pay child support plus mortgage payments on a house I wasn't living in an no one could see that was paying twice combined with th extra payments I then had to pay for my own rent. Then came the peoperty settlemnt which again punished me for not having primary care of my child. Over time my children began spending more and more time with me and no live with me full time. I HAVE NEVER sought any child support from my ex because I wanted her to know that for me it was never about money and ow I have the absolute privilege of spending quality time with my young adults.

Commenter

Poetoz

Date and time

October 18, 2011, 8:30AM

HD,my cousin pays maintenance for a child. He doesn't know where the child is, nor it's mother. There is a court order in place which requires the mother submit the child for DNA testing as my cousin has always suspected the child was not his. This has been ongoing for about 8 years. He still pays and never sees the child, much less can verify it is biologically his.Whenever the mother is located, she moves again into hiding in another city/town. So it seems the system if a long way from good.

Commenter

Simon

Date and time

October 18, 2011, 8:42AM

When my papa ran off, he was told to pay $10.95 a month despite his obscene mass of wealth and the dire financial impoverishment my mother and I were in.

He paid the first and second month, and everything else was left in arrears. Upon my 18th birthday, I was informed by the CSA that since I was of age, they considered the debt absolved.

Nice.

Commenter

Jill

Date and time

October 18, 2011, 8:47AM

I have had nothing but good interactions with the CSA (I am the paying Dad) and my account is well in the black. My only gripe about the system is that there is no enforcement that my Ex actually spend the money on the Children. She treats it like she treats her parenting payments from Centrelink, as if it is her personal income. She doesn't go without anything and yet the kids often are forced to wear op-shop clothes and go without shoes. Both her and her new partner are long term unemployed and have no incentive to work. I would love to have more time with the kids but she fights tooth and nail to limit my access as they are effectively her meal ticket.

Commenter

BrissieDad

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

October 18, 2011, 9:00AM

yeah heidi, darryltj comment is pretty spot on. with you everything is just a clear cut case of men = bad and women = good / victim etc. why do u even bother trying to pretend that you're not a misandrist? im not even saying that as an attack. its just fact. due to ur experiences or personality or whatever it is, u are completely unable to sympathise with the very real problems and injustices men face and can only ever see the womans side. its quite sickening. seriously, just read through ur blogs and try and look at it from an objective point of view. it would be completely fine if this were on a feminist forum where this sort of mentality is expected, but to have it on a 'news' website is pretty bad. for every bad man out there, there is a bad woman. its not a gender issue. issues like this are sometimes complicated. its not just a matter of someone spending the money on themselves rather than giving it to their kids. and alot of the time, the money paid for child support actually really does end up just being spent on new clothes or luxuries and doesn't benefit the child at all. i guarantee that if there was some sort of monitoring going on with how the money was spent then there would be ALOT more money coming forward willingingly as people...